Trainers raise puppies to become eyes for the blind
- From: "Ginger Kutsch" <gingerkutsch@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blindnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:58:17 -0400
Trainers raise puppies to become eyes for the blind
By MARK BENNETT
Bucks County Courier Times
Imagine waking up to darkness.
An estimated 10 million Americans wake up every morning in darkness, according
to the American Foundation for the Blind, and with an American going blind
every seven minutes many more people will learn to live in the dark, the
foundation said.
But they are getting four-legged help.
The world famous guide dog school, The Seeing Eye, provides trained dogs to
guide visually impaired people and to help them live on their own.
Its Morristown, N.J., campus has a puppy raiser program that places a 7- to
8-week-old puppy with a volunteer who introduces the young pup to the world
through which it will lead a blind person.
Last August, The Seeing Eye showed its appreciation to dedicated puppy raisers
by giving out 70 $1,000 scholarships to participants who have trained more
than one dog. Stephanie Esposito of Middletown and Catherine Pang of Newtown
have already put theirs to good use.
Trainers are required to give the puppies basic command training, love and
affection and must socialize the animals. "You get so attached to them," said
Esposito, "they become part of the family."
The socialization of the dogs is very important. Without experiencing different
people and animals, the dog might react unexpectedly when faced with something
new, harming itself or its handler.
Esposito, 18, attends James Madison University in Virginia to study health
sciences and has been a puppy raiser since she was 11. In addition to her
involvement
with ballet and tap dancing, she has raised three puppies and is training one
now at her home in Middletown with some help from her sister Christine, 16,
who is also a certified puppy raiser.
"The first three couldn't become Seeing Eye dogs because of health or
temperament reasons; we're really hoping that this one will make it," said
Esposito.
Esposito's mother was a Girl Scout troop leader when Stephanie was 11 and would
take her along to Scout meetings; at one of those meetings a guest speaker
from The Seeing Eye talked about the puppy raiser program. She had always asked
her mother for a dog but had never been allowed to have one until her mom
agreed to let her train a puppy for the program.
"When you first get them, that's the best time; all they want to do is play and
cuddle on your lap," said Esposito, admitting that the little balls of fur
are a lot of work, too.
Pang, also 18, is enrolled at Penn State University to study special education
and is planning to be an elementary school teacher for special needs children.
She is active in swing dancing, theater and choir. The three puppies Pang has
raised were also unable to become Seeing Eye dogs, however, her second one,
Marie, did become a breeder dog.
"I was always really into dogs, but my parents would never let me have one,"
said Pang, "but then my mom heard about the program and decided to let me have
one."
On average, the puppy raisers care for their dogs for 14 to 18 months before
returning them to The Seeing Eye to possibly become a guide dog.
"You know you're only raising the puppy for about a year, so when the time
comes you pack up their toys and say goodbye," said Pang.
The Seeing Eye, cooperating with the 4-H Youth Development program, developed
the puppy raiser project in 1942.
"About 50 percent of the puppies raised become seeing guide dogs; some of the
failures go onto police work, becoming drug sniffing dogs, others become
breeders,"
said Bonnie Lannom, head of communications for The Seeing Eye.
"It's really touching," said Esposito, "just seeing how much it changed their
lives makes it worth it."
Mark Bennett can be reached at
news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
October 22, 2007 4:55 AM
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